We Were Strangers in the Dark
by MyNameIsCAL
Summary: In an alternate reality, Max and Fang find each other differently. With their new found wings, can they save the others who aren't so different from them, and stop Itex from taking over the world? Max's POV and FAX. Other flock members come in later.
1. Chapter 1

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 1**

By MyNameIsCAL

**A new story before the new year. Happy holidays to everyone! Hope you enjoy this one.**

-Max's POV-

They took me in the night. I had been in bed, restless from my parents who had been arguing. Dad had shown up, shouting about something, screaming that he would win custody over me. I didn't want to go with him. Mom knew that. Even he knew that. But he was going to fight anyway, and it was hard not to say that I inherited some stubbornness from him.

They dragged me out of bed and drugged me. The last thing I could remember was silence. I wondered if my younger brother, Ari, had heard anything. But I didn't have the chance to scream out. I hoped he and Mom wouldn't miss me too much. Then it was darkness. I almost didn't remember what happened when I came to.

And when I did regain consciousness, I was alone, or at least that's what I thought I was. I was in a poorly lit room, my vision fuzzy, and still unable to move. There was talking coming from somewhere, muffled.

"Prepare her. We must have things completed in the morning."

The voice was stern, and it reminded me of something, maybe a movie I watched or some teacher I had. I was lying on the ground, I realized.

And then I sensed someone else. A figure appeared from the shadows.

"I'm sorry," the figure said, bending over me, the voice hoarse. "But don't give up. You can't let them win. I wish there was more I could do for you."

And it would be a very long time until I met the person who spoke those words to me. But through all the pain and suffering I would endure next, I held onto them dearly.

* * *

-Three Years Later-

The only people I ever saw were the scientists. I was never called by name, but only by number. They claimed I was the biggest success they ever had. Out of all the kids they kidnapped and gave wings to, I somehow stuck out to them. I had never seen the others they talked about, and I longed for someone to talk to. Seventeen years old and I felt like life as I knew it before was eons ago.

But time in solitude put life into perspective. I wish I had savored it more, and now here I was, hopeless on ever being normal again.

"It's time to move on to Phase Two," the scientist told me. "It is time to integrate you with your own kind, to prepare you and train you for the world's next biggest revolution."

I learned not to question or speak to the scientists when they spoke to me. I wanted to survive.

Handlers, as I liked to call them, escorted me down a white hallway. I was used to this, being pushed from room to room and then back to my cage every day. They never spoke, never showed emotion. Expressionlessly, they opened a door and shoved me in. I turned and it slammed behind me. Things happening without explanation? I was used to that.

I thought the room was empty, but my heightened senses told me there was someone else present.

"It's been a long time."

But I couldn't mistake the voice. It was the same one that had spoken to me all those years ago, telling me not to give up.

"I…Well….Who are you?" I finally decided that was the appropriate question to ask before I jumped to any other conclusions.

He stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself in the dim lighting. Almost a foot taller than me, he made me want to cringe away.

"I'm Fang," he said, sticking his hand out.

"I'm…I'm Max." I shook his hand.

He let go of my hand, backing away into the dark. "No one ever comes back, eve."

"What do you mean?"

Now that my eyes had adjusted, I could see he was sitting up against the wall now. He motioned me over, pointing to the space next to him, and I took a seat.

"The scientists," Fang paused, as if he was unsure of where he was going with what he was saying. "They feel you're an accomplishment. They haven't locked you away with their…_failures_."

"Failures?"

"The other experiments. Ones that are too powerful, or too weak, to exist among others. Or so the scientists believe. They get locked up elsewhere. I'm guessing you haven't met any of them."

I shook my head, feeling a little confused. "How long have you been here?"

"Seven years." He let out a sigh. "You should get some rest. They're going to drag us out for testing again in the morning. They always do."

Days dragged on. Periodically we were removed separately, but we talked little, as if he wasn't sure he could trust me. Although I was ready to trust anything, or anyone, who could give me even just one ounce of hope.

But I learned he had broken out a few times since I had first met him. He had made it just a little over a month, saying that New York City was only a day's flight away.

"They find you eventually," he had told me. "But I never fought back because I never had anything to fight for. I was on the streets, and well, I was tired I suppose."

It always seemed like Fang had more to say, but our communication skills were out of practice, and there were times where we sat in silence and spoke of nothing. The scientists were making us work together now, and half the time I felt like we knew what the other was going to do, that it didn't take a whole lot for us to complete the obstacles the scientists threw in front of us.

Fang had no problem with doing what they asked us, but I was quite tired of it. It made me wonder how he lasted seven years.

"Fang?"

"Hmm?" It was dark, and the two of us slept little. I was starting to think I needed to start some conversation.

"The only reason I lasted so long was because of what you said to me when they first threw me in here."

His usual tone of voice changed, maybe he sounded surprised. "I've said that to everyone they've thrown in here. Not one of them has come back. Except for you."

"I…I just wanted to say thank you."

"I'm glad I could help someone."

I smiled, but I knew the gesture was lost because we sat in pitch black darkness.

"I want to get out of here," he suddenly whispered. "I think that we could make it, and get far away from here, together."

"I'll do anything," I replied, "to get out of here."

* * *

**Hope this all sounds good for you. Thanks for reading! New chapter soon, and for those of you that follow my other stories, I promise I'll get you some updates before the end of 2010!**


	2. Chapter 2

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 2**

By MyNameIsCAL

Days went by. Fang never brought up escaping again, and I tried not to think about it. After being here for three years, I wasn't going to start dreaming about things I knew were out of reach. It made me wonder if I opened up to Fang if he would start to trust me, but he seemed distant, and maybe it was because he was afraid to get too close, that the scientists might find me unsuitable for whatever they were testing me for.

Weeks went by. The only words we exchanged were about the day's events. Today we went through flying and landing, dodging things the scientists had flung at us. Even in the mess, I had noticed that Fang's wings were a deep black, ones that seemed almost purple in the simulated moonlight when they had us in the dark. It also reminded me how long it had been since I had been outside to see the sun, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to break down and cry. But I had stopped crying a long time ago, and it hardly seemed worth it, especially because Fang was so good at keeping his emotions hidden, it made me think that I should take after him in order to survive.

It was then, one day, a month after Fang whispered hopes of escaping to me, that Fang brought up the subject, and almost abruptly.

"We make our escape tomorrow, Max," he murmured. "All you have to do is follow what I tell you to do."

"Sounds like a plan," I responded.

He said nothing more and I waited up all night, feeling anxious, wondering whether he had a real plan or not. I was thinking the latter, trying not to get my hopes up, but then again, you never knew.

Things went as usual in the morning. Fang said nothing as far as what I was supposed to do. And then as they led us down the hallway, Fang grabbed me by the wrist and kicked open one of the doors, dragging me along with him.

The handlers were quick, but we were quicker.

"Jump out the window and fly, ok?"

He went first, breaking through the glass, his wings unfurling as he soared upward. I followed in suit, probably half as graceful as he was, but still all the same going in the same direction.

"Follow me!"

I had expected sun and warmth, but instead it was cold, the air crisp and the moon high in the sky.

"COME BACK HERE! YOU'LL NEVER SURVIVE ALONE!" It sounded like one of the scientists shouting after us.

There was a loud _crack_ and I felt something spray me across the face. I wiped it and looked down. _Blood_.

"Fang…"

He was clutching his arm, growling. "I'm fine. Just keep flying."

But he was starting to lose altitude, and I grabbed him before we reached the ground, coming to a stumbled landing.

"It's just my arm…" He put his back to a tree, sitting down. "I'll be…okay."

Fang was shivering. I had to get him out of the cold, but the next sign of civilization could still be too far away.

And then, as if reading my mind, he said, "When I escaped here, I set up places to stop. Safe places that I went to once, hid my stuff, and never returned to in case they were following me. There's one…it's just another…ten minute flight on the edge of a suburb."

I tore a strip of Fang's shirt off and tied it around his arm. He stood, wobbly, and we ascended into the night again. It wasn't long, like he had promised. We reached civilization, landing behind some old building. Fang pushed the door open, and it creaked, probably only deafening because we were trying not to attract attention.

"There's a first aid kit somewhere in here…some cash too…" Fang let out a cough. "A blanket…"

I looked around, my eyes already adjusted to the dark, and my perception better than a normal person's vision. There was an old desk in the corner and I opened the drawers, finding the first aid kit, a wad of cash, and the blanket. Fang had found his way to a couch on the opposite side of the room. I took a seat next to him, opening the first aid kit.

"This is gonna hurt," I muttered as I began to disinfect his wound.

He let out a grunt of pain, but said nothing. When I finished, he took the cash from me, stuffing it into his pocket, and then muttered a thank you, shivering as I settled the blanket around him.

"You're going to…be cold." Fang shook his head. "The blanket…it's big enough."

We spread the blanket equally between the two of us, him on one side of the couch, me on the other. It was awkward, nonetheless, but it was warmth, and at least for now we were out of the cold.

If the scientists hadn't tampered with us, I would have been worried about Fang's wound, but one of the perks that we had been given was to heal quickly, and in the morning, Fang would probably just be a little sore.

I thought sleep wouldn't come easy, but it did, and in the morning, we would start our journey to New York City.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'll update soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 3**

By MyNameIsCAL

"It's Christmas Eve."

Fang and I had been walking through the city slowly, trying not to look over our shoulders too many times. We had purchased warmer clothes, including jackets that would cover our wings. In the city, we blended in with the crowds of people, but somehow I still felt out of place. The style had changed, and so had the trends. Fang was probably more behind than I was, but I didn't think it bothered him.

"Is it really?" I managed to say.

"Yeah." He let out a sigh. "Let's take a detour."

I had been to the city a lot, coming from New Jersey. Fang seemed to know the city well, and it made me wonder why.

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the City's famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree. He looked up at it, sadly.

"I spent most of my time in California with my father," Fang spoke in a low tone. "Winter break and summer with my mom here in the city. She always took me and my sister to see the tree. Well, my little stepsisters. They used to think I was the greatest thing, and I couldn't understand why because half the time I was here I didn't even spend time with them."

"I used to come here every year too," I said.

He let out a breath, visible now in the cold. He looked up, but not at the tree.

"It's snowing." The corners of his mouth seemed to turn upward. Then he turned to face me, his dark eyes meeting mine. "Look, I know it's late and you're tired. And well, look, I never checked to see if my mom is still in the city."

"You want to look for her?" I realized what he was really trying to ask.

"Well…yeah." His gaze fell to the ground.

"Then let's go," I said, trying to smile.

Maybe it was my imagination, but his hand brushed up against mine.

"Sorry," he murmured. "C'mon, we'll take the subway."

We spent about an hour going through the crowds, changing from line to line, but we finally made it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. A younger version of him stood with two little girls, who were holding his hand. Fang was smiling, an older woman beside him who I assumed was his mom. They looked like they were standing on the stoop of the front of their home.

We walked to the middle of the block and he went up the stairs, knocking on the door. It opened, a man appearing.

"Yes? What in the hell do you want at this time of day?"

Fang cleared his throat, asking for a name that I couldn't make out through the wind.

"Look, I don't know why you're looking for her, but she moved away a long time ago. And I don't know where she went, alright? I'm sorry I can't help you, but it's late and you should be heading home."

The man slammed the door in Fang's face.

"Fang…"

He took a seat on the bottom step, the snow now falling heavily.

"Fang, I'm really sorry," I said, taking a seat next to him.

"Seven years. It's been too long." He was rubbing his arm, eyes closed. "I'm sorry I made you come all this way."

I lifted my hand, resting it on his shoulder, wishing I had a way to comfort him better.

"C'mon, let's go." He stood.

* * *

It was past midnight when we reached one of Fang's places to stay. It was in some old abandoned apartment building that had never been finished, but there was still running water and a couch and a bed. We stopped to buy some food and cleaned ourselves up, not speaking at all. I felt bad for Fang, but he seemed like he just wanted to forget about what happened already.

"How's your arm?"

Fang glanced up over the newspaper he was reading. "It's alright."

I frowned.

"It's still sore."

I went back to eating my cereal without milk.

He put down the newspaper and leaned across the table.

"Can I ask you something, Max?"

_Max?_ He never used my name before. I replied, "Of course."

He pushed something across the table. A white piece of paper.

"I…I don't know what your plans are, but before we left, I grabbed this paper. It's a list of all the other people they have there currently." Fang leaned against the table. "I want to ask for your help. I want to go back and get them out of there, or find some way to save them."

"You haven't actually asked me a real question," I said.

He didn't seem to know what to say.

"You helped me get out of there," I finally told him. "The least I can do is help you."

"But you realize that helping me also means we can end up back in there."

"You're not very convincing," I smirked.

Fang took in a breath. "I…"

"Nah, I'm just kidding, alright. Yes, I know." I picked up the list of names, scanning them.

"A lot of them, when we get there, won't even be there anymore." Fang shook his head. "A scientist once told me that for every ten experiments they do, only one of the people will survive. And one time, when I was trying to resist their tests, they brought me to see the others. You think we suffered, well they've suffered more."

He started to take the list from me, but then one of the names caught my eye.

_Ari_.

"Wait," I tugged the list back. "My brother's name is on here."

Fang's look of surprise only lasted a second. "If it makes you feel better, he's probably one of the few on that list that are alive. If he was taken the same time as you, then he's been there as long as you."

It hardly sounded comforting, but at least I had hope now.


	4. Chapter 4

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 4**

By MyNameIsCAL

It was New Year's Eve and neither Fang nor I were up for celebrating. Although we had treated ourselves to fast food instead of cereal tonight, sitting at a small corner table as people bustled in an out, grabbing food to go. A lot of them were heading to the massive crowd to watch the ball drop, and it hurt to think about it because I used to stay up every year to watch it with my family.

After dinner, we walked back to the empty apartment building, ducking into the alleyway and going in the back. The only light we had inside was a little candle on the table where we usually ate cereal for dinner. All showering and whatever we needed to do in light had to be done before sunset, unless we did it by candle or flashlight.

I lay on the bed, listening to Fang settled on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position. He caught me by surprise when he began to talk.

"You don't want to go look for your family?" he questioned.

"My brother is there, with those scientists freaks. I am looking for my family," I reminded him.

"Right." Fang took a moment to think. "Well, I don't know, I guess I'm curious about your family, that's all. I probably owe you an apology for my poor introduction skills."

"Nah." Fang amused me sometimes, although I'm not sure he'd be entirely happy to know that. "My mom and dad were going through an ugly divorce when I got taken away. It was a custody battle, and maybe my disappearance, and my brother's disappearance, snapped things into perspective for them."

"Perhaps." He sounded troubled. "I just wanted to say thank you to you."

"For what?"

"Agreeing to help me. Cleaning me up after I got shot."

"You got me out of there." I felt like I was constantly reminding him of this.

"Alright, well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Fang."

* * *

We were getting our supplies together slowly. And it wasn't easy because we didn't have a lot of money. Fang, shamefully, admitted that he had pick pocketed a man, but also claimed the man had been harassing some poor woman earlier, and so that he didn't need the money. If I had known Fang in another life, this wouldn't have been acceptable, but circumstances changed and it seemed like we were on the short end of the stick right now.

Fang had warmed to me now. Occasionally we would speak of our families. I managed to get a half smile out of him here and there. There were things he was holding back, and he knew that I was okay with that, which seemed to be bothering him because he always sounded like he had something else to say to me.

In passing, I had mentioned my birthday was soon, and to my surprise, he picked up on it because when I woke up one morning, he had hot food instead of cereal ready to eat.

"You didn't have to do this," I said, smiling at him. "We need the money."

He shook his head. It sounded like we were some married couple, unable to pay our bills or rent or something. I wanted to laugh, but held it back as I began to eat. Fang had been away a while ago, his food wrappers already sitting in the garbage can.

"Do you want to see a movie, or something? We can go somewhere, I don't know. I never got to celebrate my birthday. I was always stuck with the scientists." Fang glanced out the window. "Anyway….wherever you want to go."

"A movie sounds nice, actually."

Sometime later we found ourselves walking through the crowded streets of New York. We found a theater, Fang held the door, and we stood in line, staring up at the movie titles and the titles next to them.

"What do you want to see?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's your birthday. Isn't _Eclipse_ about vampires and werewolves? That could be interesting."

I shook my head. "I don't think you'd enjoy sitting through a romance movie."

"Ah." Fang scanned the list again. "I'm not familiar with any of these."

There was something disconcerting about standing in line for tickets at a movie theater without knowing what you wanted to see, and I realized how out of touch we really were. When we reached the front of the line, I stood there for a few seconds.

"So what's been making the most money?" I asked the cashier.

He looked annoyed. "The action thriller of course. Big stars. It's been showing for a while though. Not many people wanting to see it anymore. Guess they're bored. That's the problem these days. Too many bored people."

"Alright two tickets for that then," I said.

He gave me a funny look and took Fang's money, producing two tickets. We headed inside, avoiding concessions. I noticed the prices had risen since I had last been here. They were already so expensive before.

The theater the movie was showing in was empty. Fang and I were the only two people.

"Well, this is awkward," Fang muttered.

"No it's not." I wasn't even thinking, but I settled my head against his shoulder. He tensed up for a minute, and I half expected him to shake me off, but he didn't.

* * *

**A little bit of Fax to end your Valentine's Day. I was lucky enough to have a date with _Angel_ and I have completed reading it just a little over an hour ago.****My honest opinion is that it was good. It lived up to my realistic expectations, although I find myself a little frustrated because it's not exactly what I wanted. But there's still one more book, you must remember when you're reading it. The ending needs to be good, or we'll be left with a feeling that all this was wasted.**

**Just a suggestion, don't go into reading _Angel_ with a hatred for any of the characters. Take a deep breath and let them speak for themselves, and you'll realize that things may be complicated, but Patterson is definitely setting up an ending that could be good (as I'm hoping), or it could be a disaster, but let's not ponder that because no matter what happens, I'll still be sitting here writing fanfics until people stop reading and reviewing them.**

**My inbox is opened for opinions once you've read _Angel_. I'd like to know how you felt about it.  
**

**And thanks for reading, as always. I'll be sure to update soon**

**}MyNameIsCAL{**


	5. Chapter 5

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 5**

By MyNameIsCAL

"Are we going to be able to come back here?" I questioned Fang. "Or are we going to have to find a new place to stay?"

Fang swallowed the last of his cereal. "I don't know. I guess it depends. Last time I knew they were following me. So I only stopped here once. I usually found roofs or took the subway around. Never really slept I guess. That's how they got me. My exhaustion got the best of me."

I folded up the newspaper and stuck it in our makeshift garbage can. "I was just wondering."

He shrugged. "I know places we can hide. But they won't make the best shelters in the cold. When I got out, it was almost summer."

Things were going well, if you could describe out situation like that. I guess for the circumstances, I was lucky. Extremely lucky to be alive, even. Conversation with Fang made me feel like I had known him my entire life.

Of course there were still things between us unsaid. I knew that there was still something he was holding back, and there were times when we'd talk about things in our past where he would steer the conversation to my end, or change the topic entirely. But we still had our light conversations, about nothing, where I'd laugh and he tried not to smile, but you could see it in his eyes that he desperately wanted to let go for a little bit and forget about our troubles, but he wasn't going to. He felt, well I don't know, maybe he didn't want to lose focus. And since he hadn't grown up as a teenager out here in the real world, I often found myself explaining things to him. I thought it frustrated him, but he wasn't going to give himself away like that.

We were heading back to the facility the next morning, stopping in the town we had before and resting before we would try to break in. Fang had everything planned. I felt like he had been planning this for some time, that he had been thinking of doing this all along, but he knew he was missing something, and maybe that something was another person to help him.

Fang secured our place with locks and tape. If anyone broke in, we would know when we came back, and we would have to find another place to stay. Getting out may be the easy part, he told me. It was the staying out that would be the hardest.

We flew in silence. But I realized that even after all the pain I had been through, there was some beauty in flying. As night fell, Fang's wings glinted purple in the moonlight, and I found myself smiling at them, looking away quickly when he glanced at me. It made me wonder what he thought about me, but at least I knew he trusted me now, and it felt really good to know that I finally had someone to trust again, after all those years of being tricked by those evil scientists.

When we reached the town, after almost a full day of flying, we took refuge in the same old abandoned house. The sun was just coming up.

"I brought some cereal." Fang pulled out two ziplocks. "They sorta got crushed."

I shrugged, taking a seat on the couch, starting to eat the crumbs anyway. It was better than not eating anything. He took a seat next to me, but unlike the last time we were here, he was only inches from me now.

"Uhm, Max?" He sounded unsure of himself.

"Yeah?"

"If one of us has to stay there, it's going to be me. Whoever we can get, take them here. And if you can, just start heading back to the city already. Get as far as you can, and don't come back for me."

"We're not going to get separated." I looked him in the eye. "And I'm not going to just leave you there."

He looked defeated. "Alright."

And then he stood, closing the curtains, making himself busy as I ate my cereal.

We slept for a little bit, waking just as the sun went down. It was eerily cloudy tonight, the moon barely visible, unlike last night, and I tried not to take it as a bad omen. I told myself I wouldn't believe in superstition like that.

The tree line stopped on the edge of the barbed wire fences that outlined the property of where we had spent so many years being tortured. The place seemed dead, with few dark windows, but inside, I knew there were lives being taken, people being tortured. There was a lone set of security gates, and the guard looked like he was asleep.

"Our way in is through that window over there." Fang pointed. "That side of the building is where they never take us. That's where they keep all of their so called failed experiments."

We sat in the trees for a long time, watching the sleeping security guard. I was surprised they didn't have handlers patrolling the outside, but then again, this place was probably just supposed to be some warehouse or whatever, something the public didn't care about.

"Are you ready?" Fang asked, the moon peeking through the clouds now.

I nodded and he took off, me following. We reached the window and he took out a screwdriver, unlatching it so we could get in undetected. The inside office was dark, the only light from a laptop screen.

"If we come out this way, we're taking that," Fang murmured.

The next obstacle was the door. Well, opening it and hoping there was no one on the other side. Fang pressed his ear too it and shook his head. "Nothing but air ventilation. I'm going to open it."

I held my breath, but it lead to one of those white hallways, that hospital smell filling our noses. I cringed and Fang frowned, but he led the way down the hall after closing the door behind us.

The door at the end of the hallway read _Restricted_. Fang took a long time to pick the lock, but he finally got it open, and we entered a dark room. There were people in here.

"Don't hurt us!" I heard someone whimper.

"We promise to do what you want," another added.

Fang turned on the light, revealing cages.

"We're here to get you out," Fang said quietly.

They all looked incredulous, except for one small girl. She had to be at least half our age. "Take Iggy first. He needs to get out of here more than we do. The cage, right in front of you."

Fang began to fumble with the lock. I peered into the cage. He looked cramped in there, and terrified. But he was our age, or maybe older.

"He can't see," the little girl informed us. "Hurry up, they're coming."

Fang finally got the lock undone. Iggy untangled himself and Fang helped him out by the arm.

"Get my brother next!" The little girl pointed at the cage between hers and Iggy's. Let Iggy pick the lock."

Either Fang knew something that I didn't, or he was going with his gut feeling to listen to this girl. Iggy undid the lock of the girl's brother. He had to be eight or nine maybe. Just as he clamored out, the door on the opposite side of the room burst open, handlers charging in.

"I'm going to find a way back," Fang said quickly to the little girl. "You and the others, you tell them to hold on. I'll be back as soon as I can, as soon as I can find a safe place."

And the girl nodded quickly.

"Angel, I'm not leaving you and Nudge!" The boy said to his sister as we started to run towards the door we had come in.

"You have to, Gazzy!" Angel shook her head. "It's the only way. I promise we'll be okay."

I was leading the way out, back to the room where we had broken in from. Iggy seemed to be keeping up, despite being blind, and I almost thought that I had misheard Angel. Gazzy was now close behind, but when I looked back again, one of the handlers had caught Fang.

"Go, Max!" Fang punched one of the handlers in the face. "You have to go!"

There was another door, opposite to the end of the door that had read _Restricted_ in this white hallway. It burst open, wolves running towards us. I ducked into the room, grabbing the laptop, and directed the other two to the window. Iggy took off clumsily, and Gazzy seemed to be having trouble.

"Keep going! I'll catch up!" I shouted.

When I turned, the wolves were now outside the room. I waited to the last second, hoping Fang would come through, but he didn't. The wolves were surrounding me now, but I noticed there something different about them, I couldn't quite place my finger on it. One of them caught my attention, staring me right in the eye, and then I took off out the window.

It was like it had just let me go.


	6. Chapter 6

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 6**

By MyNameIsCAL

I took Iggy and Gazzy to the empty house. Gazzy seemed distraught about his sister being left behind, but Iggy, well, he just seemed sort of lost and I felt bad for him. Not much time had passed, but I knew I wasn't supposed to stay here long. We were supposed to keep moving.

"How did you even get out?" Gazzy asked me, pacing.

"Fang got me out…" I trailed off, my eyes wandering to the back windows.

"Do you think they got him?" It was the first time Iggy had spoke since we had escaped.

That was something I didn't want to answer.

But we didn't have to wait much longer to receive our answer. Fang burst through the front door, stumbling in. I ran to him. It was almost instinct, an automatic response, and I pulled him into a hug. His arms rested around me stiffly, and then more comfortably, his chin rested on the top of my head.

"Max, I'm okay," he whispered. "You shouldn't have waited for me."

I let go of him after another second. "I...I know…"

Fang looked like he had taken a few hits, but at least he had gotten away without getting shot or something. He was limping, slightly.

"Angel kept saying one day we'd get out." Gazzy had stopped pacing. "She kept saying someone we never expected to come back would save us."

Fang took a seat, deep in thought. "I remember, even though I had only met you briefly, she told me everything I needed to know to get out. Because she can read minds, and read the scientists minds. And she told me, but like telepathically."

It suddenly made sense, everything.

"We have to go back for them." Gazzy insisted.

"I know you want to go back, but we can't just head back there. We need a plan, and we need to go back there when they're not expecting us." Fang shook his head. "We have to keep moving away from here. It won't be long until they find us."

"How would you know?" Iggy interjected.

"Because I've gotten out a few times," Fang answered.

We fell into silence after that. The sun was almost coming up now, and as the first tinge of pink hit the sky, we were flying towards the city again.

* * *

Our place had been undisturbed since we had left it. Over the next few days, Fang and I took turns leaving to get food. I had learned that the scientists had tried to give Iggy night vision, but it had failed miserably, leaving him blind. Gazzy, on the other hand was graced with the ability to mock people's voices with perfection and pass gas whenever he wanted.

He could probably clear a room, Iggy had told me. I hoped I would never have to experience that.

But I also learned than neither of them knew of their families. They didn't have anywhere to go. They didn't have anyone to look for. In fact, they had no recollection of their life before being caged up. Yet they somehow knew things, like about cars and cities and even who the president was. Iggy described it like they had always known the stuff all along, like the scientists had just planted it into them. That bothered Fang. It bothered me too. How could the world be so cruel to us?

Then again, Fang seemed to be distancing himself from us. I tried to tell Fang that we did all we could, that Angel and Nudge would be alright. His thoughts were somewhere else, and often when I tried to ask him something he'd just shrug and give me a muttered response.

It was late now. Iggy and Gazzy, unaccustomed to sleep, had passed our hours ago. Those two occupied opposite sides of the bed, as far away as they could get from each other without falling off. Fang and I took turns sleeping on the couch, which meant every other night, I had to sleep on the floor.

Right now I sat on the couch with Fang. He was reading the paper. Actually, he was staring at it.

"Are you okay, Fang?"

He glanced at me and then put the paper down. "I'd be lying if I said I was."

"Then what's bugging you?"

Fang shrugged. "Lots of things. Angel, my mother, whether Iggy and Gazzy will adjust well…" He trailed off. "But why does it matter? And why do you care?"

"I care because you're the only thing I got right now." The words came out of my mouth before I even thought about them. "And we're the only people that Iggy and Gazzy have that care about them."

He looked a little surprised.

"Fang…" I hesitated. "I mean, you've always been that one thing I held onto. The one thing that's kept me going through this mess and I just…It's just I wish there was more I could do to help you."

His eyes seemed to soften, and he let out a breath slowly. "I'm sorry, Max."

"Don't be."

He suddenly put his arm round me, drawing me close. "I wish we had met under different circumstances."

I rested my head against his chest. "Maybe we were supposed to meet this way."

Fang closed his eyes. "Maybe."

And we fell asleep like that.

* * *

"No, it's too dangerous. Only Max and I are going to go."

Gazzy shook his head. "She's my sister! I'm going to get her back!"

But Fang had already decided to put his foot down a couple of days ago. And we wouldn't be heading back right away. Their guard would be up, and returning shortly after would be a suicide mission.

"Gazzy," Iggy interjected, his pale blue, sightless eyes seemed to find him. "If something happens to you, Angel isn't going to be able to forgive herself. She's the reason we're out of here, and obviously she trusts Fang, so maybe you should listen to him."

"We don't even know them!" Gazzy pushed himself away from the table, fists balled up in anger.

"And they've all we got, Gazzy. Right now, they're our ticket for survival!" Iggy reached out, grabbing Gazzy by the arm. "You don't understand, Gazzy. I'd rather kill myself then go back there. And Angel told us to stick together. You can't leave me here alone."

Gazzy snapped his arm away, storming out the door. Fang exchanged a glance with me and then stood, going after him.

Iggy let out a sigh, leaning against the table. "I wish I could help him. He's just frustrated and…I don't know."

"I'd feel the same way if I were him," I said.

"They're on the roof." Iggy closed his eyes. "I can hear their footsteps. I think Gazzy just needs to clear his head. Fang hasn't said much to him."

"He's not much of a talker. I'm actually surprised he didn't send me after Gazzy."

"He talks to you, I've noticed." Iggy was changing the topic. "How long have you known each other?"

"I don't know…It's been like almost a month now."

"Is that all now?" Iggy let out a laugh. "Just seems like it's been longer."

"Yeah, I know."

"You know, the funny thing about being blind is that you pick up on everything that normal people don't see." Iggy gave me a little smile. "It's just…I don't think I'd ever be able to say this to Fang, not now anyway, but uhm, thank you."

"You're welcome, Ig."

He nodded.

* * *

We were getting ready to go out, finally all together at once. Fang had gotten Iggy and Gazzy a few changes of clothes, and they now had jackets to grace so we could go out to dinner. I think Fang was tired of being cooped up too with Iggy and Gazzy. Gazzy was still a little angry at him, I think, but Iggy took everything as it came up.

"I…I know this sounds weird." Iggy exhaled. "But, uhm, would you hold my hand? It's just that…I don't want to get hit by a car."

I took his hand and he grasped onto it tightly. Gazzy looked mildly amused, and as usual, Fang shrugged and led us forward.

It was snowing again tonight, and thankfully it was lightening Gazzy's mood. He was excited, and Iggy's emotions were now a mix of anxiousness and awe. A snow storm was supposed to be moving in, which meant on the way home, we would be stopping to stock up on some food in case the weather got too bad.

"Let's eat somewhere with real food." Fang turned the corner instead of crossing like usual.

I tugged Iggy in the right direction, Gazzy half prancing behind us as he tried to catch the snow on his tongue.

We entered a restaurant. They seated us in the far back corner, the place already overflowing with people. I sat with Fang on one side of the booth and Iggy and Gazzy sat on the other side.

"Can I have a burger?" Gazzy asked.

"Whatever you want," Fang answered gruffly, scanning his own menu.

Gazzy started to read things off the menu to Iggy. By the time the waiter got back with our sodas, we had all decided we would be getting the same thing.

Fang closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall. He hadn't been sleeping. I'd wake up and find him trying to unlock the computer, or standing at the window. No matter how much I insisted, Fang always slept on the floor, well, if he ever slept at all.

"You should sleep on the couch tonight," I told him.

He shook his head.

"How much longer are you going to be able to go without sleeping then?" I asked him.

Fang took my hand under the table, catching me by surprise, his fingers interlocking between my own. "Alright, Max, I'll sleep on the couch."


	7. Chapter 7

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 7**

By MyNameIsCAL

Well fed, Iggy and Gazzy fell asleep as soon as we got back. Fang lay on the couch, eyes closed, but I knew he wasn't asleep. I was still thinking about dinner, how Fnag had taken my under the table. Now that I thought about it, I had missed out on middle school relationships and high school dating. But there was no lying that I had grown fond of Fang, that I would admit to trusting him.

"I want to go to the library tomorrow," he said. "See if we can find out anything about ourselves or the scientists."

I took a seat on the edge of the couch. "Are you just going or are we taking them."

"We'll all go." He glanced at me. "Maybe we can find old articles about our kidnapping."

I nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want the couch?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

He frowned. "The floor is cold though."

I shrugged.

He looked unsure of himself. "Well, there's room for both of us, c'mon."

Fang scooted over. I settled myself next to him, and I tried to leave him some room. He pulled the blanket over us, and I found myself resting against him.

"s'okay, Max," he murmured. "Relax."

I closed my eyes, head rested against his chest. His arm came around me, and I wondered if he could feel me smiling against him.

* * *

Fang and I sat at the computers, Iggy and Gazzy at the tables behind us with some old newspapers. My father's old work website was up, now updated with a picture of him. He had aged a lot over the past three years. I scrolled down and there was a statement on the bottom.

_On December 17, 2010, Jeb Batchelder was struck by a car while walking home from work. Despite the kidnapping of his two children three years ago, Jeb worked very hard on his research, determined to find cures for many different diseases. His work and research will be continued by long time friend and colleague, Roland ter Borcht._

That was long before I had escaped with Fang. At least I knew he wasn't hassling my mom anymore.

Her website was next. I typed in the URL, but the website was gone. Letting out a sigh, I tuped her name into Google. I found a new website.

_Dr. Valencia Martinez is one of Arizona's leading veterinarians. She is a mother and a community figure._

There was a picture of her too, and unlike Jeb, she only looked a little older than before, maybe a little tired. It hurt to know that she had left Jersey though, or maybe it was just a way for her to forget Jeb and Ari and me.

"What's wrong?" Fang's voice cut through my thoughts.

"N—Nothing." I took down my mom's contact information. "My father is dead and my mom moved to Arizona."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I didn't expect much of anything."

He was staring at his screen. "The only thing I can find about my mom are the articles about my kidnapping. My father too, but he never cared much about taking care of me."

"I should see if I can find anything about Iggy." I knew it wasn't something he wanted to discuss any further.

He nodded. "I'll see if there's any information about the scientists. The laptop we nabbed has a logo on it that says Itex."

_James Griffith._ Iggy knew his real name, but Gazzy didn't. I typed in Iggy's name.

"Anything?" Fang questioned.

I scrolled through the first few pages of results. "No, there's nothing."

After another half hour of searching, we hadn't found anything. Finally, Gazzy came up to us, looking tired.

"Hey, uhm, Fang, I'm sorta hungry," he said quietly.

Fang's brow unfurrowed. "We'll get something to eat, c'mon."

Fang folded up his papers and stuck it in his coat pocket. I took Iggy by the hand and we exited the library, crossing the street.

We settled on pizza, cramming at a table meant for two with four chairs. Fang ordered two pies to go, muttering that cold pizza was better than cold cereal for three meals. Gazzy offered to hold the pies and we made our way to the apartment.

* * *

Fang had gone out to get some air, leaving me with Iggy and Gazzy.

"So what's up with Fang?" Gazzy questioned.

I shrugged.

Iggy shook his head. "I wish he talked to us."

I knew they were a little upset that Fang trusted me more. It wasn't on purpose though. He didn't want to upset them either. After all, he still thought Gazzy was angry at him for leaving the others behind. Besides, dealing with people wasn't one of Fang's strengths.

"So your mom is in Arizona?" Iggy changed the subject after I didn't respond.

"Yeah,' I managed to say. "She's probably better off without me.

"I don't even remember my parents," Gazzy frowned. "I mean, do they even miss me or Angel?"

"I'm sure they do." Iggy ruffled his hair.

Gazzy sighed. "Max, what's it like, having a family?"

I thought back to my parents arguing, how Ari and I were deathly afraid of my father. It hadn't been much of a family, especially with both my parents at work, struggling to keep things together for Ari and me. Part of me had hoped my disappearance would bring them back together, but I guess things had only fallen apart.

"Max?"

"It's not all that it's cracked up to be." I took in a deep breath. "I guess I used to wish they would go away. My parents were on the verge of divorce. And my brother Ari is still somewhere with you sister and your other friend."

Gazzy slouched against the table. "Right, Fang told me something about that. That time he followed me to the roof after I got upset. I'm sorry, Max."

"It's alright. You know, maybe it was all supposed to happen this way so I could help you."

Iggy nodded. "Yeah, maybe."


	8. Chapter 8

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 8**

By MyNameIsCAL

_BANG!_

I rolled off the couch, and Fang grabbed me by the arm.

"Grab the laptop." He pulled me up. "We gotta run."

"You think you can run from us?" The smell of wet dog accompanied that statement.

It was those wolves again. Although Gazzy and Iggy had referred to them as Erasers. Well, right now, I guess the biggest problem was that it was pointing this huge shot gun right at Fang.

"Max, go!" Fang froze, staring into the barrel.

Iggy and Gazzy were already making their way out of the window, but I took a chance, throwing myself into the Eraser. The gun went off, but into the ceiling, and dust came showering down on us. Fang grabbed me by the arm again and pulled me out, the Eraser chasing close behind us.

"We've got to fly!" Gazzy exclaimed.

Fang's hand slipped into mine and we took off into the bright lights of New York City. The Eraser fired one more shot at us, but by then we were out of reach.

We didn't stop flying until Gazzy pushed forward and asked Fang where we were going. I realized that we had just been going with no direction really.

"Well…" Fang trailed off for a moment. "I know another place we can hide out for a while."

Gazzy nodded, falling back behind us with Iggy.

"Do you really?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. A few places here and there scattered throughout the city." He let out a breath. "I just sorta liked the idea of flying for a while though."

Fang was silent for the rest of the night. From the time we landed and up until I fell asleep leaning against him on the floor of some abandoned warehouse. He had his arm around me though, and although it had only been hours before we had been shot at, I felt safe again.

* * *

Fang had something planned, but he wasn't exactly sharing it with us. Partly because I knew he didn't want Gazzy or Iggy to find out. We spent another night at the warehouse, and then we moved to a motel room which Fang paid for under a fake name, sneaking us in through the balcony.

He sat on the balcony alone as the rest of us got ready for bed. The couch pulled out into a sofa, and Iggy and Gazzy slept on it, keeping pillows between themselves so they wouldn't end up kicking each other. They fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. It wasn't a surprise considering we hadn't slept in days.

"Hey, it's getting late," I said, taking a seat next to Fang.

He looked out at the parking lot. "I know. I need to talk to you about something."

"Of course."

He closed the sliding door. "I'm going to purchase train tickets to get us to Arizona. Enough for you, me, Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, and your brother. We'll leave the tickets with Gazzy and Iggy and leave them at the station tomorrow night. Then you and I will go to break the others out."

"Why Arizona?"

"Because your mother is there." He closed his eyes. "And I need to get you all away from here before I come back to save the others that are left, the ones that I haven't even seen, the rest of the people on that list."

"I want to help you though."

He let out a sigh, taking my hand, fingers laced between my own. "You've still got a family out there. I don't want to ruin that chance for you to be happy, Max. All my life I've cared about people who didn't really care about me, or understand that I was lonely. And then I suffered all those years trapped and waiting for my death, and then you showed up, and I feel like everything's changed suddenly."

"But they're out to kill us, Fang. You can't go alone. I won't let you."

The sides of his lips curved upwards, briefly. "I'll come back for you, Max, I promise. But I'm not going to let you, or the others, get hurt again."

We sat there for a long time without speaking. I held his hand, not wanting to let go. He finally stood.

"I have to go buy the tickets. You stay here and rest." He gave me a small smile. "I'll be back soon."

He didn't let go of my hand until he unfurled his wings and took off in the air. I watched him in awe for a while before going inside and settling into the bed. When I woke up in the morning, he was sleeping beside me, arm around me.

* * *

We stood in front of the train station with Gazzy and Iggy. Fang handed them their tickets.

"Promise me," he said before letting go. "Promise me you will not follow us. Promise me that you will get on that train no matter what and get far away from here."

Gazzy nodded reluctantly and Iggy mustered a weak "I promise, Fang."

After watching them walk into the station, Fang and I went down an alleyway and took off into the air. The sun was starting to go down now. By the time we reached the facility, it would be dark.

* * *

Getting in had been easy.

And then they released the Erasers on us.

"I know a way out." Angel turned the corner.

Fang followed after her, and I brought up the rear with Nudge in front of me. She led us into a room and we broke through the window, our wings shooting out. We swooped down before ascending towards the trees. There was a lone Eraser chasing after us below.

"You can't run forever!" A husky voice shouted.

There was a gunshot.

"Get into the trees!" Fang shouted.

We hit the ground running. At least the trees would provide some protection. We wove through them, zigzagging back and forth. For a moment, I thought we had been heading back towards the facility, but we broke through the tree line, arriving at the edge of a lake.

"They'll shoot us if we fly," Nudge said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Then we'll swim." Angel dove in and Nudge followed.

Fang started after them and then another gunshot went off.

"MAX!"

I didn't even know what was happening. Suddenly I was in the water. A set of big hands came and pulled me up. When I refocused my vision, I was face to face with an Eraser. I began to struggle, trying to free myself.

"Well, well, well." I could feel its claws digging into my skin. "I've missed you, Max."

His eyes met mine and I stopped struggling. Those eyes...

"Ari?"

He growled, dropping me to the ground. "You see what they've done ot me, Max?"

I winced as I tried to sit up. "Then come with us!"

He let out a laugh. "Dad's not dead, Max. You should come with me instead of running around with Mr. Pretty Boy."

"What?"

Ari let out a sigh. "Then we're going to have to kill you."

I braced myself, ready for him to hit me, but he didn't. Ari had turned his attention to Fang.

"Ari!" I screamed. "Ari! Stop!"

There was a moment of hesitation as Ari raised his now human fist. Fang threw a punch, hitting him in the stomach, and scrambled out of the water.

"For the longest time," Ari coughed, "I've lived always being a disappointment to our father, Max. But he's so proud of me now. If only you understood."

"You could have grabbed me when we were escaping," I said. "You had plenty of chances to kill me and to kill the rest of us. Even now, you're not putting up much of a fight."

He turned to face me, and I could finally catch a glimpse of him in the moonlight. His face was badly scarred and he looked as if he had aged a good twenty years.

"You were always good to me, Max." Ari turned away again. "The others aren't really ready to leave the facility. They're afraid of the outside world because they don't know it. Just leave. Leave before I change my mind or before someone comes and finds out I've let you get away again."

Before I could say anything else, he ran towards the woods, blurring into a wolf-like figure and disappearing into the darkness.

And like Ari, the rest of the night was a blur. Fang had wrapped my shoulder with a piece of his shirt and then bandages we had stopped to get quickly at a convenience store. It started to downpour just as we reached the city, and Fang insisted we catch a taxi to the station, that we would have enough time.

"You're shivering," he murmured, wrapping his jacket around me.

"I'll—I'll be fine."

"Where's Gazzy and Iggy?" Nudge asked.

"At the train station waiting for us," Angel whispered.

I felt too weak to question how Angel knew anything. It only dawned on me later that she could read our minds.

Fang had his arm around me, and I found myself leaning against him. He had been attempting to make the jacket stay around me, but instead he ended up holding it himself, trying not to jostle my shoulder in the process.

"We're almost there." He said quietly.

The taxi stopped in front of the station. Fang paid him with now soaked cash and we hurried inside. The few people around looked at us and then away.

"Max!" I saw Gazzy dashing towards us, Iggy shuffling behind him looking, well, a little lost as you can imagine. "Angel! Nudge!"

I closed my eyes, just for a second.

"Max…" Fang grabbed me by the arm. "C'mon, let's sit."

The room was spinning as Fang led me towards a bench. I closed my eyes as he guided me to sit.

"Fang, what's wrong with her?" I heard Iggy whisper.

There was a moment of hesitation. "She got shot."

He lifted his jacket, examining my shoulder.

"It's not bleeding anymore. Not really anyway." That was supposed to sound assuring, but it barely came out that way.

"We can't do anything until we get onto the train," he muttered. "There are too many people around."

"I know this isn't a good time," Gazzy cleared his throat. "But we're really hungry, Fang."

Fang's eyes met mine for a moment and then he turned to the others. "Alright, I'll go get us something to eat. You all stay here with Max, alright?"

"Yeah, of course," Gazzy nodded.

We watched Fang walk off, the other sitting down around me. Angel was telling Gazzy about our escape, although Iggy seemed quite disinterested, talking to Nudge quietly. I closed my eyes, hoping to feel less queasy.

Fang came back with a plastic bag in hand. He dished out some junk food, muttering that the food stands were closed since it was too late already. They ate hungrily, but I shook my head to the bag of chips Fang had opened.

"At least have some water." He reached into the plastic bag producing a bottle.

I sipped it slowly.

"I got some Advil too." He put away the bag of chips. "Maybe they'll have real food on the train."

The hour passed by slowly. Thoughts and images of Ari circled my head. Fang had his arm around me, eyes fixed onto the floor. Finally, we boarded the train, trudging into a compartment with two sets of bunk beds.

The night was far from over though.

* * *

**Alright, a lengthy chapter compared to the usual ones I write. I'm working on the next one already, so look out for that some time next week. My summer vacation has arrived, so I'm hoping to write out a bunch of chapters for my different stories so when school rolls around, I'll be able to update still.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

**We Were Strangers in the Dark – Chapter 9**

By MyNameIsCAL

I sat on the edge of one of the beds, watching Fang pull out a first aid kit.

"There are some clothes in the other backpack." Fang pointed to the backpack Gazzy was carrying. "They should fit you. Change and put your wet ones into the plastic bag. The bathroom's sort of small, but at least we have our own."

Gazzy nodded, rummaging through the bag now.

Fang turned his attention back to me now. He removed his jacket from me slowly, and then started to remove the bandages slowly. The bleeding had stopped for the most part, unless I moved my shoulder. I stole a glance at it, and to my surprise, it looked like the wound was already beginning to heal.

"You heal faster than I do," he said, noticing my expression. "I guess that makes sense though. They experimented on me first. I'm still going to have to stitch it. I think by the time we get to Arizona, your shoulder will just be sore."

I closed my eyes. "I hope it's warm there."

"Yeah, me too." He cleared his throat. "Iggy, come here for a minute."

"What's up?"

"I need to stitch Max's shoulder," he explained. "Hold her hand."

"What?"

Fang grabbed him by the wrist.

"Alright, alright, Jesus." Iggy grasped my hand awkwardly.

"Don't look."

I closed my eyes again, taking in a sharp breath, squeezing Iggy's hand. It seemed like hours had passed, and when Fang told me to open my eyes again, he was already bandaging my shoulder.

"Thanks, Ig," I said, letting go of his hand.

"Don't mention it," he chuckled. "I feel like you broke my hand."

Fang scowled at him, which made it fortunate that Iggy couldn't see him. I managed to let out a small laugh and Iggy shook his hand, telling me not to worry about it before taking a seat on the opposite bed.

* * *

I awoke to the sun flickering on the floor as the train moved along. Fang had his arm around me, and I rested my hand over his for a moment.

He stirred shortly afterwards. "How's your shoulder?"

"Feels better than last night," I said.

He sat up, leaning back against the wall. I wondered if he had slept at all. The others across from us were still asleep. I could hear Iggy's snoring from across. Nudge was curled up against him.

I started to sit up, but things started to spin, and I found myself falling back against Fang.

"Careful," he muttered, arms coming around me. "You didn't really eat much last night."

Closing my eyes, I rested my head against his chest.

"We have to switch trains around noon," he said after a while. "We can get some food for you then before we catch our next one."

"Do you think they'll come after us?" I asked.

"Who?"

"My father and Ari," I answered. "Or any of those crazy scientists. Surely my father must know what my mom is up to. It can't take much to connect the dots that we're heading to Arizona."

"We're only trying to buy ourselves time." He rested his chin on the top of my head. "Don't worry about that right now."

It wasn't long before the others started to stir. I was reluctant to let Fang move to sit on the edge of the bed, but he found my hand under the blanket and squeezed it as he started to talk to Iggy.

"So exactly what's the plan now?" Iggy questioned.

"We're going to find Max's mom and see if maybe she can help the rest of you. If not, I'll find somewhere else…"

"If my mom isn't going to help everyone, then I'm going where you're going," I cut in.

Fang let out a sigh. "We'll figure things out when we get there, but yeah, that's what we're running on. Maybe we can crack that laptop."

"Nudge can do it," said Iggy.

"What do you mean?" Fang asked.

Nudge was awake now. "I can sort of, I don't know, who's been there. Then I can sort of feel them typing the password and maybe we can hack into your laptop."

They were all engrossed in the laptop, but I closed my eyes, letting the movement of the train lull me back to sleep.

* * *

Arizona wasn't nearly as cold as New York City. And it was beautiful. The red rocks and the desert. The sun felt good, which I hadn't seen in a long time. We took a minute to stand outside the train station, eyes closed, taking it in.

"Why are we just standing here?" Iggy cut into our silence.

"Iggy, do you know how long it has been since we've seen the sun?" Nudge explained. "Can't you feel it?"

He closed his eyes too, and we stood there for another moment longer.

There was a fast food restaurant across the street from the station. Fang and I went up to purchase orders separately for all of us. The idea was to be inconspicuous, but we could eat a lot, and we were starving, so it seemed better than order a ton of food all together. Once we got everything, we crammed into a corner booth and began to eat.

"Did you find anything on that laptop?" I asked Fang.

He nodded, swallowing before he spoke. "There's some stuff about your brother and minimal information about us. I'll let you look at it when we find somewhere safe."

My appetite was back because I ate three hamburgers and a whole thing of large fries. The others were just as hungry, or probably more. Fang and I had done a pretty good job at feeding ourselves after escaping. Angel and Nudge had just gotten out.

"We'll find a hotel after this," Fang said, picking up a few fries and dipping them into the ketchup. "Then we'll figure out how we'll get to your mom."

* * *

We stood outside my mom's veterinarian office. It was closed for Sunday.

"Let's try the back door," Fang said. "C'mon."

I glanced around. Except for a few cars passing, there was no one around.

"Here, I can pick the lock." Iggy dug his hand into his pocket and produced a paper clip and a pick. Within seconds, the door was open. We stepped inside and Nudge turned off the alarm.

Isn't that feeling great when you realize that you and all the people you're with could have made great thieves by breaking and entering?

It smelled like a hospital in here. I shivered and Fang took my hand, leading through the hallway. Rounding the corner, we found and office door that had a metal plate.

_Dr. Valencia Martinez._

"Shall we?" Fang asked, putting his other hand on the doorknob.

I nodded.

Inside on the walls hung her diplomas and certifications, a poster that was some kind of campaign against animal abuse, and a bulletin board that had pictures of animals pinned up on them. Pets she probably cared for here.

Fang let go of my hand and I walked around to the other side of her desk. There was a desktop computer and some pictures on her desk. I sunk into the chair, staring at the pictures.

There was an old one of just her and me. I had grown up a lot since then. Probably taller than she was now. There was another picture of her in a wedding dress with a man I didn't know. Then another picture of her with a baby. She had moved on. She had a new family.

I felt betrayed.

"Max…"

I tore my eyes away from the pictures and looked up at Fang. He had seen them too.

"We should see if we can find your mom's address," he said quietly. "If not, we'll have to find a phonebook somewhere."

After rummaging through the drawers, we came across an envelope not addressed to the office. I copied it down on a sticky note and Fang put it into the backpack. After putting everything back as we had found it, we left. I pushed the pictures out of my mind. There would be time to be upset later.

* * *

**Stay tuned for more. Working on a new story and other stuff too. I'll try to update my other stories over the next week. Thanks for reading!**


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